Revealing true nature of our God
June 20, 2023 - Tuesday, 11th Week in Ordinary Time. Psalm 146:2, 5-9a
Psalm 146 gives a beautiful testimony about our God. First of all, the Lord is the Creator of the whole universe. Albert Einstein once said “the more I study science, the more I believe in God”. There is no conflict between our faith and science. Seeing the complexity of the universe and interrelatedness of all forms of life, all wise people acknowledge that the creation of the universe could not happen by chance. There has to be an incredibly gifted designer behind all the awesome beauty of our world. That designer for the psalmist, for me, and many other people is the God of the Bible. But, the Lord has not only created the universe and all with it. He also sustains it in being and he cares for us.
The psalmist states that “the Lord keeps faith forever”. What does the psalmist mean by his statement? Saint Paul explains that it in this way: “if we are faithless, he [Jesus Christ] remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself” (see 2 Tim 2:13). The authors of the Old Testament already knew this truth but it became even clear with the coming of God’s Son into this world. As Saint Paul says: “all the promises of God” are “Yes” and “Amen” in Jesus Christ (see 2 Cor 1:20).
Then the psalmist turns our attention to the action of God on behalf of the vulnerable ones in our societies: the oppressed, the hungry, the captives, the blind, those bowed down, the strangers, widows, and orphans. We can easily realise why Jesus’ ministry presented in the Gospel fits so well with this description. The groups of people mentioned by the psalmist were primary object of Christ’s miracles. We can also understand why the Church from its beginning put such a stress on deeds of mercy and why Christians have been at the forefront of transformation in our societies.
In 1787, William Wilberforce, a Member of Parliament and philanthropist, brought the issue of slavery to British parliament. After years of campaign and struggles, by 1807, Parliament passed the Slave Trade Act and in 1833 the Slavery Abolition Law was finally enacted. Few months after, in the same year, William Wilberforce passed away. Today, his spirit is carried on by group of Christian women. Julia Immonen established an organisation called “Sport for Freedom” to bring to attention contemporary slavery in our world - human trafficking. On March 26, 2015, after years of campaigning, the Modern Slavery Act became a law in the United Kingdom.
The psalmist describes for us in a poem who God is. Jesus revealed to us the true face of God through his life. As the followers of Christ, we are called to continue revealing the true image of our God through our words and deeds. Let our Christian life, in imitation of our Lord Jesus and our ancestors in faith, become again a force for good in our world today.